Remembering a South African hero who worked tirelessly to raise awareness for organ donation to help save the lives of every person waiting on the list.
It is with a deeply heavy heart that we share with you today that Peter Moore has passed. He was a hero not only to us but to South Africans waiting on the organ donation list. Peter brought smiles to our faces and warmed our hearts.
He dedicated his life to raising awareness about organ donation. He did this by swimming through ice-cold water with only 18% – 24% lung capacity.
Peter suffered burns to his lungs when he rescued children from a Sandton creche after a chlorine gas leak. He was diagnosed with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) which required him to have a double lung transplant. Despite his struggles, he was determined to make a difference.
In July of this year, we had the pleasure to name Peter as our SPAR Hero after he swam 7km through an ice-cold river to help a young woman he had met who was in need of an organ transplant.
He did the swim to benefit a young lady with cystic fibrosis and was inspired by her strength. He met Vanessa Neveling at Groote Schuur Hospital where she was in a Lung Transplant Programme. He raised funds to help pay for her medical expenses.
He pushed his body to its limit all to create awareness for people to become organ donors. It was in October that he finally got the good news that he was on the waiting list for a new set of lungs. A few weeks later, he received his most anticipated call, the call that he needed to report to the hospital for his long-awaited organ donation. This happened in late November.
We received the news of his passing yesterday through the organ donation awareness organisation ‘Transplant Education for Living Legacies‘ (Tell).
They shared a beautiful message in his memory,
“South Africa lost a hero in the world of organ donation today. RIP Peter Moore. You cared so much for others, you were passionate about raising awareness. You were a positive soul and super encouraging when we started TELL. You will be sorely missed. Our thoughts are with his friends and family, as well as the medical staff who treated him.”
Throughout our chats with Peter, he always had a positive view of the world and said he would never give up on this cause. He spoke of his daughter, who was to join him by running to raise awareness, and of his friends, who would cycle besides him in honour of his cause. He was deeply proud of everyone who became involved or helped to support him.
“My mission to create awareness for Organ donation and young people that are fighting respiratory disease will never end”
While Peter may not be with us now, we know his memory will inspire many to continue his efforts. He will be missed by everyone here at Good Things Guy. Our thoughts go out to his wife Cheryl and his daughter, to everyone who knew him personally and to the people whose lives were touched by his inspiring story.
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